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Articles about BJJ

When first starting BJJ, simplifying things is the name of the game. You will be bombarded with more details and information than you can possibly hope to keep up with. What you can do, though, is walk away with some key concepts. These three objectives will help you more than anything when you are first getting started.

Get on top (and stay on top)This is the most intuitive for most people, especially anyone with a wrestling background. Even if you didn’t wrestle competitively in high school or college, you probably at least wrestled around with your friends or siblings at some point. The main concept is one that is simple: gravity aids your movement, while it restricts the bottom person’s. If there are punches involved, they are aided by the force of gravity. If you’re only grappling, holding your opponent in place simply involves pinning him or her against the ground with your body weight.
Staying on top means not pulling the guy into your guard when you’re in his guard. Yes, weary novice grappler, this practice is indeed frowned upon not only from a competitive standpoint (you typically give up points when you “sweep yourself”), but also from a fighting standpoint. Stay on top and let gravity aid your positional progress!

Always face your opponentIf “get on top” is the simplest piece of advice for wrestlers to pick up, and perhaps the most intuitive for everyone in general, “always face your opponent” is the toughest for many people to adapt to. It is very difficult for most people to get used to the idea that lying on your back is better than “turtling” (turning away to your knees) when on the bottom, but imagine for a moment a scenario in which you and I are having a knife fight. We start our absurd duel to the death facing one another. The fight seems pretty even, right?

Now imagine a second scenario wherein I walk around behind you. On the count of three, we begin trying to stab one another. Who will most likely win? The same is true with jiu jitsu: if you can get on your opponent’s back, you are winning the positional battle. Never give your opponent this prime opportunity for free!

Get your legs around your opponentSay whaaaaaaaaaaaat? You want me to do what?
Initial awkwardness aside, the incredible efficacy of the guard is perhaps the thing that most separates Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from nearly every other martial art. If you can’t get on top, you had better use your legs to create space and angles in between you and your opponent. When you’re on top, the converse is true: your objective is to get around your opponent’s legs as quickly and efficiently as possible, establishing a dominant position such as side control, the mount, or knee on stomach. From there, just as from the guard, your odds of finishing the match with a submission go up exponentially.

No, I don’t mean you will grow hair all over your body. Jiujitsu is not a growth hormone. You will just end up with other people’s hair all over your body. I don’t just mean eyelashes and stray strands of head hair. Hair from ALL OVER people’s bodies, will be ALL OVER YOURS.

6. The smells.

We’ve touched on the importance of washing up before and after BJJ classes, but let’s face it: not everyone is going to wash and some folks smell even when they do. And the closeness of the sport puts you in smell def-c0n 4. Even when everyone smells dandy fresh to start, just wait about an hour. Once the sweaty, grunty, hotbox of a gym gets going, you’ll swear someone was baking bread or feet next door.

5. The north south position brings with it the unholy combination of crotch and face.

Ahh, North South. The 69 of Jiujitsu positions. It’s bad enough to have someone’s crotch sitting on your face. It’s a difficult position to escape. And if you read #6. above, then you know this gets dodgy quick. I’ll let you do the math.

4. You will start using the lingo, and secretly despise yourself for it.

Jits, seriously? I hate that term. We don’t need to shorten EVERYTHING. BJJ is short enough. It’s one letter shorter even. And Jits just sounds stupid. “I got Jits tonight” just sounds like you have problems that only a doctor can help.

If this was basketball and we all just called it bask, someone somewhere would stand up and DO something.

3. You will never be able to train enough to be satisfied with your amount of training.

Ask any BJJ practicioner how often they train and they will tell you. And they will also usually include the following words “not as much as I’d like to”. In 4 years, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has said “yeah I train exactly as much as I would like.

Sound familiar? If D.A.R.E and PSA’s taught me anything as a young lad, if the first hit is free, it’s probably addictive. You have been warned.

1. You keep getting better. And so does everyone else.

One of the best/worst/best things about BJJ is that when you train you get better. This means you can pull off sweet sweeps and hit transitions like the fabled Mad Transitioner! (trademark from Marvel Comics pending, green spandex costume with white accents)

*I don’t really mean you will hate BJJ. C’mon, you can’t help but love it.

I recently wrote an anecdotal experience that I had while re-visiting the weights for a lift after almost a year of focusing on BJJ instead of lifting weights.

A few disclaimers:

*Individual Results May Vary*

*I have never had a strength coach or proper weight training instruction. What information I have learned has been through reading editorials in muscle magazines and watching 80’s training montages in rapid succession.

*I am not a competetive weight-lifter. I am not a body-builder. I started weight-lifting as a stress reliever and because I wanted to be stronger. Also, because being called Mr.Fats only works when you are a jazz musician.

*I do not have a spotter. In general, I lift what I can while still being safe enough to avoid dying in some horriffic weight-lifting accident. (See Darwin Awards)

*I do not have a degree in physical fitness or science. Or any degree at all. Except half an art degree. Yes, I know I’m disappointed in myself too.

When I started lifting weights, I could not do 20 pushups in one sitting. I was very lazy. When I found weight lifting, it was because of the ABS Diet, which essentially told me that if I wanted to get healthy I needed to lift weights. The way I understood it, muscle burned more calories over time than without. I started lifting very slowly and very lightly. I tried varied routines and in a self trained enviroment, I lost around 100lbs. Yes, I was a super fat guy. I’m still a large guy, but BJJ has helped scuplt my frame considerably. I’m happy with the way I look for the first time in my life. I want to keep working on it, because I one day I want to look like Conan (The Destroyer, not the talk show host). I recently weighed in around 270lbs at 6’4″. When I tell folks I weigh that much, they do not believe it.

One year 2 months ago, I used to lift the following:

Bench Press (flat): Rep x 10-12 135lbs 4 sets. 1 Rep Max 225lbs

Leg Press (seated machine): Rep x 10-12 270lbs 3 sets

Squat (guided): Rep x 10 200lbs 3 sets

Lat Pull Down (Machine): Rep x 12 110lbs 3 sets

Leg Curl: Rep x 10 70lbs 3 sets

Bicep Curl one arm (standing): Rep x 12 30lbs 4 sets

Hammer Curl one arm (standing): Rep x 12 30lbs 4 sets

Tricep Extension one arm (standing over head): Rep x 12 25lbs 4 sets

Seated Row: Rep x 12 120lbs 3 sets

Calf Raises (Standing): Rep x 10 60lbs 3 sets

The day before I wrote the aformentioned article, I lifted:

Bench Press (flat): Rep x 12 185lbs x 4 sets. 1 Rep Max x 305lbs.

Leg Press (seated): Rep x 12 400lbs x 4 sets

Squat (guided): Did not do during work out. I didn’t feel like waiting for someone to finish up. I hate asking to work in.

Lat Pull Down (Machine): Rep x 14 220lbs x 4 sets

Leg Curl: Rep x 12 120lbs x 3 sets

Bicep Curl one arm (standing): Rep x 12 45lbs x 4 sets

Hammer Curl one arm standing (standing): Rep x 12 45lbs x 4 sets

Tricep Extension (standing over head): Rep x 10 35lbs x 4 sets

Seated Row: Rep x 12 200lbs x 3 sets

Calf Raises (Standing): Rep x 12 130lbs x 4 sets

The most significant (re: shocking to me) changes were in my legs and chest. In no way am I suggesting that BJJ completely replaces strength training for powerlifters/body builders/The Hulk (Incredible, not Hogan). I am saying that I have seen gains which, in my opinion, came from 3.5 days a week of jujitsu rolling craziness. I also wanted to make an observation that while I had stopped lifting in lieu of BJJ, I had still seen gains, some significant, some not in relation to my individual experience and therefore BJJ was, indeed, a secret strength coach for me.

Most of the guys and gals I train with at Revolution BJJ are strong for their respective size. Some of them lift weights, some do not but they are all strong for their size. I am not mistaking strength for technique here, either. While they are technically very proficient, they are also strong.

Training in Martial Arts brings all kinds of personalities into the gym. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is no exception. When pairing up with a partner for drilling or rolling, you will likely have conversations. The majority of the time, you will hear normal discussions of training, lives and experiences.

Occasionally, though, you will hear things you wish you hadn’t heard.

10. “I’ve been training UFC..”

As televised fighting becomes more and more main stream, more people are finding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Some of them are only stopping by your BJJ class to sharpen up their backyard UFC training skills. These are often people who value spazzy super fast movements, flailing flopping attacks, and complaining whenever a technical ground match starts to develop in a MMA event.

9. “You wash your gi after EVERY class?!?!”

Yes, and from the smell of you, sir or madam, you do not. Nothing gives me the heebie jeebies like hearing that a gi has not been washed after training. Yes, I said heebie jeebies, that’s how real things just got. Do you have any idea what’s crawling in that unwashed gi? This literally make me shudder.

8. “You smell really nice.”

There is never a time when it is appropriate for one training partner to tell another training partner he or she smells really nice. Especially not in a creepy hushed whisper.

7. “No leg locks, ok?”

I don’t get why some folks think it’s ok to say this. I tell you what, I won’t do leglocks, if you won’t do any guard passes. If you are excluding an entire branch of submissions, what’s next? Forcing your partner to work off his or her back?

6. “Can you work off your back only?”

Oh wait. Yeah, this happens too. I’m a big guy, I’m over 6’4″ and I definitely out weigh you. Sure, I’ll ONLY work off my back. That’s totally cool. No, you know I understand I’m a big guy and it’s not fair for me to use my top game…ever. Sheesh. You know the real kicker here? The few females I train with have never ever said this to me.

5. “Wow, you’re really strong! How much do you weigh?”

This is one of the most deflating things to hear your training partner say. Especially, after really working for a technical submission that you just so happen to be working on religiously over the last month. When you are of the larger size, you expect to hear this. When it gets funny is when I hear people say it to instructors or upper belts..who are usually 100lbs+ lighter than myself.

4. “Watch out for my Knee/Shoulder/Ankle/Knee. It’s injured.”

This one is tricky because yes, if you have a tender joint or slight injury, you definitely should tell your training partner. This is to avoid them cranking a submission on it. However, if you are so injured that the affected area needs to be avoided altogether, you’re better off just skipping the rolls.

3. “Let’s roll light” *Proceeds to go balls to the wall intense.

There is nothing wrong with asking your training partner to go light. Listen though, if you say that and immediately switch on the Hulk power level jiu-jitsu, you have failed on levels I can’t even describe. If you say “let’s go light”, then roll light and easy, ok?

2. “Does this look like MRSA/Ringworm to you?”

I.am.not.a.doctor.

You.do.not.belong.on.the.mats.

Carry.yourself.to.a.physician.immediately.

Do.not.come.back.without.a.doctor’s.note.

Seriously.

1. “I’ve got this rash that just won’t stop itching.”

See above. The only rashes I want to talk about are fancy new rash guards. If you have a rash, I don’t want to know how you got it, where it is on your body, or that you have a slightly cheese smelling discharge. Please, do us both a favor go see a doctor. Now. And do every training partner everywhere a favor by staying off the mats until you have the ok from your doctor.

Before I started BJJ, I used to lift weights 5 days a week. I really enjoy lifting weights. It’s challenging and a great stress reliever.

When I got serious about BJJ (especially over the past year) I began trading weight lifting sessions for BJJ training sessions. As a working family man, I have to balance my time away from home as best I can. Truthfully, it was a tough decision. I didn’t want to lose my strength gains and hobby I had invested so much time in, and yet the workout I got during BJJ training was kicking my teeth in. I wanted to eat my cake and have it too.

I should explain, at Revolution BJJ, we roll a lot. I remember when I was first shopping for a new school I spoke with Andrew Smith about Revolution BJJ and he said literally: “We roll A LOT at my gym. A LOT.”

We roll A LOT. A LOT

I thought he was joking around. He was serious. In the last 13-14 months I have had at least 234 rolls with my Black Belt Instructor. That isn’t including all of my other training partners and frankly, I’m low-balling that number. (3 classes a week, 13 months, 1.5 rolls per class).

Now, I knew rolling at this pace was a great workout, and my conditioning has gotten great because of it. Secretly, though I’ve been missing lifting weights. I had a day scheduled off from work and I determined myself to going to the gym to find out how much strength I had lost. I prepared myself for the worst lifting session in my personal history and began my workout.

I proceeded to lift more weight and do more reps that I ever have before. I had increased in every part of my old routine. In some cases, I doubled my strength from 1 year ago.

On my drive home from the gym, I thought about what this meant. I was in disbelief. Jiu-Jitsu had secretly been making me stronger and I hadn’t noticed. My mind was swimming with this new information. Rolling requires and exhausts your core muscle group. It does so in dynamic and fluid ways. And core strength augments all other strength related endeavors.

While I enjoy lifting and will still do it maybe twice a week, I’m definitely going to center it around core workouts to augment my BJJ, which will continue to augment my strength and weight lifting. I’m finally in a positive cycle of improvement.